PBA-DL: NLEX runs away in the third, blows out Big Chill to pick up fifth title

(Updated 6:35pm) The NLEX Road Warriors enjoyed a huge third quarter to run away with the 2014 PBA D-League Aspirants Cup, defeating the Big Chill Superchargers in game two, 88-70, Wednesday, at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Jake Pascual scored nine of his 17 points during a 31-13 romp in the third period, which broke the game open for the Road Warriors. Pascual added 15 rebounds and five blocks.

Ola Adeogun added 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Garvo Lanete had 10 points. Lanete was later named conference MVP, and the former San Beda Red Lion also declared his intention to enter the 2014 PBA draft.

"Nagpapasalamat ako kay Lord and sa management namin, sa coaches namin at sa teammates ko. Dahil sa kanila nakuha ko yung MVP. Sinuportahan nila ako at nagtiwala sila sa akin for this conference," said Lanete.

"Malaking tulong yung sa Gilas namin, iba rin yung experience doon e," said Lanete, who together with Matt Ganuelas and Kevin Alas, are part of the Gilas cadet pool. "Noong natalo kami nung last conference, inisip namin na babawi kami sa next conference."

NLEX's win earned them their fifth title in six conferences, and continued the trend of the champions sweeping the finals in the D-League. Coach Boyet Fernandez said that loss motivated them to bounce back to the top in this conference.

"The first thing we did was [after the 0-2 loss to Blackwater Sports last conference] meet with the management and plan for this conference," said Fernandez. "I appreciate the trust, especially boss MVP who sat down with me and gave me some advice. Ang plano namin was to redeem ourselves from the debacle of last conference.

"I'm happy we got this redemption. It's really hard to get a championship in the D-League. It's a very tough league with all of the future players of the PBA," said Fernandez.


Big Chill squandered an early 6-0 lead as the Road Warriors went to Kevin Alas and Ola Adeogun to produce buckets. The pair either scored or assisted for NLEX during a 13-3 run to lead, 13-9.

Halfway through the frame Rodney Brondial picked up his third personal foul, and Dexter Maiquez stepped up to fill the frontcourt void. Maiquez banged home consecutive and-ones, and tallied nine points to earn a 22-21 edge over NLEX after the first quarter.

Though both sides played badly to start the second quarter, a few Road Warriors chipped in with fast break conversions and led 33-27, after a Rome Dela Rosa jumper. Big Chill was unable to contain Jake Pascual in the paint but caught a break late, as Maiquez hit a triple as the half expired to trim the gap, 41-39.

The Superchargers were behind partly because of their 10-of-21 (47.6 percent) free throw shooting, while NLEX converted 12-of-15 (80 percent).

NLEX came out of the break with an 11-2 run, forcing Big Chill to call an early timeout. The Superchargers tried their best to keep the deficit manageable, 54-47, force-feeding Jeckster Apinan inside in the third. Garvo Lanete through replied with a three-pointer, to uncork an 18-5 run. The Road Warriors packed the paint on defense while scoring at will on the other end, as Art Dela Cruz and Pascual strong-armed their way to a 72-52 lead heading into the final quarter.

Big Chill though tried to finish respectably and fought to the end, getting the lead down to 15 points with two minutes and change left, 81-66.

NLEX finished the game shooting 30-of-76 (39.5 percent) from the field and 23-of-35 (65.7 percent) from the charity stripe. Big Chill was cold from the floor, making 23-of-70 (32.9 percent) on field goals and 18-of-36 (50 percent) on free throws.

Dexter Maiquez led all scorers with 18 points, while Jeckster Apinan added 10 points and seven rebounds. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

NLEX 88 - J Pascual 17, Adeogun 12, Lanete 10, Dela Cruz 9, Ganuelas 8, Alas 8, Dela Rosa 7, R Pascual 7, K Pascual 4, Long 3, Hermida 3, Raymundo 0

BIG CHILL 70 - Maiquez 18, Apinan 10, Baloria 9, Heruela 9, Cervantes 5, Mirza 5, Belleza 5, Brondial 5, Lozada 3, Canlas 1, Villahermosa 0, Santos 0, Miranda 0

Quarter scoring: 21-22, 41-39, 72-52, 88-70